Inequality and Health Care

March 24, 2008

The Overseas Development Institute calls our attention to the fact that gender inequality remains a significant factor in understanding poor health care results around the world.

Women account for the majority of the world’s poor, and being a poor woman carries serious health risks, including a higher prevalence of HIV and AIDS and an increased risk of sexual and family violence. Maternal mortality remains alarmingly high in many developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where more than 900 women die for every 100,000 live births. This rises to a high of 2,100 per 100,000 in Sierra Leone, where a woman has a 1 in 8 chance of dying during pregnancy or childbirth. In the industrialised world, just 8 women die per 100,000 live births and the risk of maternal death is 1 in 8,000.

Just as discrimination towards HIV/AIDS victims obstructs effective treatment, these statistics further illustrate why insuring equal protection under the law and promoting respect for individual rights is a vital prerequisite to effective public health care.

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One Response to “Inequality and Health Care”

Not only women, but also men are under gradually serious threat of sexually transmitted disease. Syphilis is a common sex-related disease, in which HK has a recent case of a 9-year-old getting infected from mother’s body since he was born. In the latest publication by Centre for Health Protection, “Communicable Disease Watch” (Retrieved at http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/CDW_V5_7s.pdf), the number of early( infectious ) syphilis,including primary and secondary syphilis recorded an increase every year here in Hong Kong.

My point is that, whereas in Hong Kong, a medically advanced city, it has been identified as a threat, what is its threat to developing countries, where protective measures for sex-related diseases are less advanced? In particular, as the interaction between HK and mainland gets closer these years, this would become a potential health threat that we should not omit.

Pokfulam Reservoir

About This Blog

This blog was started by Dr. Lucy Cummings (LMCinHK) as a platform for MIPA (Master of International and Public Affairs) students at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to publicly grapple with a broad range of international relations theories and questions. It has now been reincarnated to serve a broader group of HKU students who are focusing on questions of IR as well as Human Security. We have chosen this public forum to share our views in the hope that the threat of a bit of public humiliation will help sharpen our thinking. Your comments & questions are welcome.